Monday, December 12, 2005

Artist Colony/Rock 'n Roll House Doomed?

And the A Street proposal by Sax calls for scraping the cottages that house the 101 Artists Colony and the Builders Trading Co.

Also to be demolished is a building called the Rock 'n' Roll House, a purple-painted bungalow festooned with beads, mirrors and images of rock musicians.

"It's amazing they would tear this down," said Richard Margolin, Sax's tenant who created the artwork, "but that's the way things go."

'Rather upscale'In an interview last week, Sax said that he hoped Margolin and other tenants can remain until the last minute before a groundbreaking planned in next fall.

Sax said he expects the 52,296-square-foot project, called Encinitas Artist Lofts, to cost $23 million.

Fifteen of the town houses would be between the highway and an alley, and four others are planned opposite the alley, on A Street, where the Rock 'n' Roll House stands.

The proposed dwellings have between one and three bedrooms and decks atop the 33-foot-tall buildings. Sax said he is already fielding offers for the homes, that would sell for more than $1 million.

The homes will be connected to commercial spaces below, that could be bought and sold separately, Sax said, adding that buyers would receive incentives for buying both.

"We would like to encourage local artists who want to be in the commercial (spaces)," Sax said.

He agreed, however, that most artists would be hard-pressed to afford the spaces.

"They are rather upscale," he said.

I was kinda surprised that the Rock 'n Roll house was a rental! If the landlord was smart he would incorporate it into the new development and keep it as a tourist destination. If I owned the land (and I don't so who cares right?) I would turn the Rock 'n Roll House into a small club and have bands play there or at least have a lounge/bar with a jukebox.It's awesome that the new million dollar units are going to be called Encinitas Artist Lofts even though no artist will be able to afford them. That is like when somebody bulldozes a bunch of oak trees and builds tract homes called Oak Tree Ranch.

9 comments:

We are so sad to see a little bit more of our community character, and what could certainly be considered to be historic charm, relegated to plans for larger, upscale development. This is another wrong step toward the "gentrification of Encinitas."

The new units will certainly be unaffordable for the artists. The name of the project is deceiving, like the Surfer's Point development planned near Ponto.

To me it seems the City Planners should consider how many million dollar plus residences are now sitting on the market, unsold, before allowing demolition of what is now affordable housing, and a piece of this community's heart.

JP,That purple house is so UGLY! It's an eye sore, with all that garbage nailed to it. A friend used to rent it years ago and it's actually a beautiful building under the hideous pink & purple crap. All those buildings should become historical landmarks, not because of the purple paint applied just a few short years ago, but because of the historical significance of the buildings up front. I wonder if any old timers remember the old Encinitas cat house that occupied that building? Now that's Encinitas History. we should not let that attorney/developer tear them down. what's next? the La Paloma? the Boat Houses? the Pannikin? the Derby House? They already let the old church on F & Vulcan go. The people who run the city of Encinitas have no integrity. This is MY town too.Jon P.

﻿It just seems like a mistake, in my opinion, to shrink or diminish the areas in greater Encinitas thatwill require a coastal development permit as well as the exclusion of some of the types of projectsthat the city staff, with no input or discussion from the citizens and only five quick minutes ofcouncil discussion brought forward and got passed October 26 as Resolution No. 2005-52. (Case05-215) Every action that is taken by the city staff and/or the city council that has the potential topose an adverse effect, either individually or cumulatively, on coastal resources, should remainunder the eye of the Coastal Commission. The maintenance of an element of affordable housingand preservation of historical buildings not designated as historical by the State but historical to the residents of the City as an important part of the character of our coastal zone.

Please write to the Coastal Commission and request that the areas considered for categoricalexclusions not be expanded west of Interstate 5. Please request that the changes of use of non-residential structures(#1), and demolition of existing buildings and reconstruction of ??? (#3) beremoved from the request for types of exclusion.

This will not guarantee that a Starbucks won’t go in the La Paloma, nor will it save every building that someone thinks might have historical significance, BUT at least it will give the citizens of Encinitas the ability to appeal if there is a ground-swell of opposition to council or city staffdecisions.

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About Leucadia

Leucadia is a funky little beach community located in North San Diego county in southern California. Leucadia is the north section of the city of Encinitas.

English spiritualists settled the small coastal community of Leucadia in 1870, and are reputed to have danced, in diaphanous white robes in the little Roadside Park (Leucadia Blvd and Hwy 101).

The spiritualists are the reason so many of the streets are named after Greek gods and goddesses. Leucadia is Greek for "a sheltered place." Heritage Eucalyptus trees, planted in the 1880s, still grace the highway. When President Roosevelt passed through Leucadia in an open car during the Depression, local children climbed the Eucalyptus trees to wave to him.

Change happens slowly in this nostalgic little California beach town. In lieu of fast food restaurants and franchise chain stores, Leucadia has two miles of Mom 'n Pop businesses, and that's the way everyone likes it. The town war cry is "Keep Leucadia Funky."

Leucadia played an active role in the rebirth of the classic Highway 101 shield, restored in 1997, and was part of the successful 101 Campaign to have Highway 101 declared an historic route.

Leucadia is experiencing growing pains and culture clash in these first decades of the 21st century...